Cancer, Cancer Treatment

By Michael Kahn

LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have figured out why some women develop resistance to the most commonly used breast cancer drug, something that raises the risk their tumors will return, according to a study published on Wednesday.

The findings could lead to new tests to determine which women are not likely to benefit from tamoxifen and who should be given other drugs, said Jason Carroll of Cancer Research UK in Cambridge, who led the study published in the journal Nature.

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A protein known to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer works in part by forcing cancer cells to eat themselves until they die, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Nov. 15 issue of Cancer Research.

The research team also found that expression of the protein, known as PEA-15, is an independent indicator of a woman’s prospects for surviving ovarian cancer, said senior author Naoto T. Ueno, M.D., Ph.D. associate professor of breast medical oncology.

Monday October 13, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) — In the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we will publish a series of reports on studies and others on the disease to raise readers’ awareness of the fact that breast cancer is a preventable disease.

A study published in the Nov. 2008 issue of British Journal of Nutrition identified a dietary pattern that was linked to increased risk of breast cancer.

The study led by Schulz M and colleagues from German Institute of Human Nutrition in Germany was meant to determine if certain diet pattern is associated with risk of breast cancer.

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Tuesday October 14, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) — In the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the campaign organizers and sponsors want as many women as possible to know the risk of breast cancer in hopes that more women or even men may go to receive regular screenings for breast cancer.

The risk is not the same to everyone. That is why you are not going to do screening at a young age. But how many people really know they are in the low risk group or high risk group remains questionable.

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WEDNESDAY, Nov. 5 — There aren’t a lot of treatment options for older women with flagging libidos, but a new study suggests that a testosterone patch may significantly improve the number of satisfying sexual episodes that women experience.

However, the increased sexual satisfaction doesn’t come without side effects, such as unwanted hair. Of more concern is a possible increase in the risk of breast cancer in women taking the male hormone, although the study’s authors think this finding was probably a chance occurrence.

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Women who confront with migraines stand less chance of developing breast cancer, according to researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

This correlation may be related to estrogen, a hormone produced in both men and women. The explanation goes like that: high levels of estrogen are linked to an augmented risk of breast cancer, and women who experience migraines are said to have low levels of the sex hormone. So these women have a lower risk of developing breast cancer. More precisely, the risk is 30 percent lower, researchers say.

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Friday November 7, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) — A study published in the Sep 2008 issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests that testosterone therapy may be used to improve all domains of sexual function in postmenopausal women who experience hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).

The review study found “Surgically menopausal women receiving testosterone experience significant increases in total satisfying sexual activity vs. women receiving placebo, significant improvement in all domains of sexual function, and decreases in personal distress, with a favorable safety profile.”

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By Sandy Powers
It was the summer of 2005 when my diagnostic mammogram revealed a growth in the back of my breast. The biopsy confirmed it was cancer. My best option was to have a mastectomy. The day before surgery, my surgeon called to tell me my pre-opt tests came back.
“Your liver enzymes are seriously elevated,” he said.
“What are liver enzymes?” I asked.
“Liver enzymes let us know how healthy the liver is,” he explained. “Your enzymes are 3 times higher than normal. Surgery is on hold until we run some tests.”
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FRIDAY, Nov. 14 — A majority of Americans, including many health-care workers, believe that people who have lung cancer are at least partly to blame for their disease, a new survey finds.

In the poll of nearly 1,500 American adults, researchers found 59 percent of respondents agreeing with the notion that lung cancer patients helped bring on their diagnosis.

It’s a bias that over time has led to fewer resources to investigate the number one cancer killer in the U.S, and added shame to the burden that lung cancer patients must carry, experts said.

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Flattening or indentation of the skin over your breast can be a sign of breast cancer. If it is, you shouldnt worry much as breast cancer is quite treatable. You should make provision on how to receive medical help instead of panicking around. Once you are diagnosed with breast cancer, the next thing you want to do is start an immediate treatment for the cancer. You should ask your doctor for available treatment options and what is involved in each before taking it up. With proper treatment chances are your breast cancer can be treated. And that’s a very high probability because more and more women are now surviving breast cancer, than was the case in the past.
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